Fil-German group bags P978-M license plate deal

In March next year, Trojan Computer Forms Manufacturing Corp. and J.H. Tonnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH & Co. KG Joint Venture will make its initial delivery of vehicle license plates, based on its supply deal with the government. Boy Santos/File

MANILA, Philippines — Car owners may finally get their license plates with the government having finally chosen a supplier – a Filipino-German group.

In March next year, Trojan Computer Forms Manufacturing Corp. and J.H. Tonnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH & Co. KG Joint Venture will make its initial delivery of vehicle license plates, based on its supply deal with the government.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), in a statement, announced the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s issuance of a notice of award on Dec. 1 to the winning bidder for the procurement of license plates worth P978.8 million.

It said the winning bidder has been required to provide an undisclosed amount of performance security bond. No other details were given.

“Initial delivery is expected sometime in March 2018,” the DOTr said.

In its statement, the DOTr said the LTO promised to deliver the license plates, in compliance with existing laws and regulations.

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At the House hearing on transportation issues on Wednesday, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said LTO chief Edgar Galvante should resign for failing to efficiently address the license plates shortage.

The DOTr said Galvante was unable to attend the hearing as he had been confined in hospital since Tuesday.

The 2013 procurement of license plates had been questioned before the courts and the Commission on Audit.

The DOTr said the procurement should have covered the supply of license plates from 2014 until 2018.

In June last year, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the release and distribution of 700,000 license plates turned over by the Bureau of Customs to the LTO after the plates’ supplier-importer failed to pay the required customs duties.

When the Duterte administration took over in July 2016, there was no budget allocation for procurement of license plates for this year and next year.

Saying the procurement of license plates should not be dependent on pending cases involving the previous contract, Galvante requested for additional funds of P400 million to be included in the LTO’s 2017 budget for the procurement of license plates.

In November last year, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the request as well as the allocation of P1 billion from DOTr’s budget for the procurement of license plates.